Shut up and answer
Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, testified before a Congressional committee yesterday. NPR describes the hearing as contentious, which puts it with typical NPR mildness. NPR provides five audio clips from the five hours of testimony. The first and longest is a remarkable, and all too familiar, example of shouty bullying and interrupting and demanding simple answers to complicated questions. I’ve always loathed demands for simple answers to complicated questions, and after this past summer, I loathe them even more.
The more than five-hour hearing was oftentimes contentious. Richards defended her organization on several fronts. She said the videos released by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress were misleading and she said her organization does not receive federal funding for most abortions.
Republican lawmakers for their part questioned why Planned Parenthood should continue to receive federal funding if many Americans don’t agree with abortions.
That’s a fatuous question. Federal funding isn’t contingent on the agreement of all Americans. It doesn’t work that way; it can’t work that way.
If federal funding were contingent on the agreement of the majority of Americans, most corporate welfare would be gone. Also, possibly farm subsidies. Education funding. Certainly funding for the arts (or at least arts that are a bit outside the mainstream). Funding for most parks and wilderness areas.
Of course, many of these are already under attack from Republican lawmakers, which is another reason, beyond just the importance of Planned Parenthood for women’s health, that we can’t allow them to succeed. If they make the “agreement” of the majority of Americans their criteria, we won’t fund anything much at all. Especially since they have demonstrated how good they are at manipulating public opinion by lies and buzz phrases.
But we will, of course, continue to fund the everloving fuck out of weapons.
Probably most fundamental science research would be defunded if it relied upon majority approval, too, even though seemingly “useless” and esoteric investigations into things like, say, quantum mechanics, have had enormously positive consequences. (QM research led to the development of the transistor, for example.) Popular approval has never been a sound basis for making life or death decisions about other people, and let’s face it: by talking about defunding Planned Parenthood, these ignorant politicians are talking about letting women suffer and die.
Mr. Fancy Pants @3: Definitely. My field (Ecology) has enough trouble getting funding as it is. If we went by majority opinion, we wouldn’t get a dime. Because while there are Americans who care about what grasses grow where and when, the majority of Americans don’t think that is important. Science is scary to a lot of people, partially because it says things they don’t like (humans evolved alongside the apes, and we have a common ancestor) and partially because it is perceived as being done by “smart” people, and there is a huge anti-intellectual contingent in this country right now.
Ophelia @2: Of course. Weapons are too important to subject to the whims of the voting public. After all, how can we keep everyone safe unless we are the good guys with the guns?
Good point, iknklast. I would argue that the anti-intellectualism has been around for a long time, too. I remember it as a geeky kid in high school with my interest in math & science in the early 1980’s, and I remember plenty of cultural cues in movies and literature sneering at “eggheads”. Regardless, I think that you’re absolutely right. Huge swaths of scientific inquiry are regularly derided by “everyday americans” (often something that starts with “the mating habits of” and followed by some animal species).
Sadly, when the majority opinion DOES get something right, that’s when the politicians tend to ignore it. I’m specifically thinking of sensible federal gun control legislation with that.
Meanwhile over here in Australia :
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-01/troy-newman-detained-after-flying-to-melbourne/6819410
we’ve banned this Coathanger lobby douchebag from entering our nation but he’s ignored that and turned up anyhow – only to be arrested. This misogynist wants abortion doctors executed for doing their jobs. But he claims to be “pro-life” of course – although I think you can safely bet he won’t be offering help or support to the thousands of children born into poverty and awful circumstances.Probably backs wars and the death penalty too.
A little off topic, sorry, could’nt find the Lounge thread here I’m afraid.
@ 6 StevoR
Lounge?! We’ll have none of that language here!
http://www.butterfliesandwheels.org/2015/the-withdrawing-room-3/
You might want to bookmark it, Stevo. There’s no link on the front page yet.